Air circulating device



y 1939. w. R. WAIS 2,159,189

AIR CIRCULATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 23, 1937 H 2 //\/1//\/ 70A? MM 2 was m 7" TQWA/E V Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to fans or blowers and particularly to a device of this character adapted to be positioned near the ceilin of a room or other enclosure, such for example as a refrigerator, and which will efiiciently maintain a circulation of the air therein.

In order to effect a rapid and controlled circulation of air in a room, the fan should be positioned comparatively near the ceiling in the i center of the room and be provided with cooperating means whereby the fiow of air to the fan is directed upwardly from the central part of the room, and the discharge of air from the fan is directed laterally in all directions. Furthermore, if efiicient operation is to be attained, it is quite essential that the surfaces which form the passage for the air in and about the fan and which change the direction of flow thereof from substantially vertical to substantially horizontal 30 must be smooth, and so shaped and correlated as to effect this change without substantial loss in velocity.

I accomplish these results by the device described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation View, partly in section, of my air circulating device; and

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Referring to the drawing, i represents the fan, here shown as comprising six helicoidal blades, and which is mounted to rotate about a vertical axis and is driven by the electric motor 2. In order to eliminatethe necessity of frequently oiling and greasing the motor, it is preferably of 5 the ball bearing type and entirely enclosed in a casing t. The motor 2 is housed and supported within the air deflector which is preferably formed of sheet aluminum, say 20 gauge, and shaped into an integral unit of revolution of the configuration shown by means of a spinning operation. The portion 5 of the deflector is spun to cylindrical form with an interior diameter adapted to receive the casing 3 of the motor which is secured thereto in the recess thus provided by means of screws 6. The central portion of the deflector immediately adjacent the fan is spun into asmooth, curved surface of revolution i which forms the bottom of the motor-receiving recess and merges smoothly into the cylindrical portion 5, as shown at 8. Above the cylindrical (Cl. Mm

tical peripheral flange I I is spun about the outer edge of the deflector which is circular and of a diameter somewhat greater than the diameter of the fan.

While a fan having the blades thereof turned to discharge air upwardly against the surface of the deflector 4 will effect to some extent a circulation of the air, I find that a much better circulation is attained by providing about the fan and rather closely spaced therefrom a short draft 1 tube or ring l2 of proper design. The discharge end E3 of the draft tube is spaced substantially from the curved surface of the deflector t and preferably at an elevation corresponding approximately to the zone it where the curved sur- 1, face ii merges with the cylindrical portion 5 of the deflector. The inlet end it of the tube it is somewhat below the fan. The element i2 is also preferably formed from sheet aluminum into a cylindrical element of approximately the corn figuration shown in Fig. l. The inner surface It thereof may be said to approx mate in shape the central zone of the inner surface of an annular torus and forms a smooth outer wall for the air passage around the fan i.

Beads l? and iii are spun about the inlet and discharge openings of the tube and a wire guard or screen it may be sprung over the lower bead as shown at 26. The draft tube it is secured about the fan by means of the spider 24 which is n clamped around the cylindrical portion of the deflector as shown at and to the arms of which the draft tube is secured by bolts or other means as shown at In operation, the fan is rotated in a direction adapted to discharge air upwardly against the curved surface of the deflector and thus to draw air through the inlet side of the draft tube as shown by the arrows 23. It will be apparent that the smoothly -curved outer surface of the defiector l and the smoothly curved interior surface of the draft tube 82 cooperate to form a streamlined annular tube or air passage into which air is inducted by the fan and discharged therefrom with its direction of flow changed through an angle of substantially 90.

While I have described my invention in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation. Hence, 50 changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. An air circulating device comprising an electric motor, a sheet metal air deflector comprising a surface of revolution laterally surrounding and coaxial with said motor and extending outwardly therefrom, a draft tube having its inner surface approximating a zone of the inner surface of an annular torus and positioned in laterally spaced relation to said deflector to form an air passage therebetween, and a fan driven by said motor and positioned within said tube.

2. An air circulating device comprising a sheet metal air deflector defining a smoothly-curving surface of revolution extending outwardly from its axis, thence axially and thence upwardly and outwardly to a free edge, a draft tube having a convex inner surface of revolution coaxial with the axis of said deflector and spaced radially from the axially extending portion of said air deflector and forming therewith a passage for directing a column of air against the upwardly and outwardly extending portion of said air deflector, a fan for forcing air upwardly through said draft tube, and a motor for driving said fan; that portion of said air deflector extending outwardly from its axis and thence axially and upwardly forming a housing for said motor.

3. An air circulating device comprising a motor and its shaft, an air deflector forming a housing for said motor and comprising a surface of revolution laterally surrounding and coaxial with said shaft of said motor and flared up wardly and outwardly, a draft tube the inner surface of which approximates the inner surface of an annular torus surrounding and spaced from the lower portion of said element and defining an annular air passage therebetween, and a fan driven by said shaft comprising propeller blades extending outwardly into said air passage for forcing the air upwardly against the upwardly and outwardly flared portion of said surface of revolution whereby the direction of a vertically moving column of air in said draft tube is gradually and smoothly changed to an outwardly directed body of air.

4. An air circulating device comprising a sheet metal air deflector defining a smoothly-curving surface of revolution extending outwardly from its axis, thence axially and thence upwardly and outwardly to a free edge, a draft tube having a convex inner surface of revolution coaxial with the axis of said deflector and spaced radially from the axially extending portion of said air deflector and forming therewith a passage for directing a column of air against the upwardly and outwardly extending portion of said air deflector, an electric motor housed within the outwardly extending and axially extending parts of said deflector, said motor having its shaft coaxial with said air deflector and extending therethrough, and a rotary fan mounted on said shaft and disposed within said draft tube.

WILLIAM R. WAIS. 

